Springfield Church Official Charged in Child Pornography Case

A Springfield man who serves as a church official has been arrested on a federal child pornography charge.

Michael William Mohr, 54, of Springfield, was charged by criminal complaint Wednesday in St. Louis with one count of producing child pornography. He appeared Thursday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis and waived his right to a detention hearing. Mohr will remain in custody pending trial.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the complaint, investigators executed a court-approved search warrant at Mohr’s Springfield residence and recovered storage devices that allegedly contained videos of three juveniles in a bathroom. The affidavit further states that a search of a residence used by Mohr in Vandalia uncovered a hidden camera disguised as a wall clock and another disguised as a Bluetooth speaker.

The investigation began after one of the juveniles reported to the Vandalia Police Department that he discovered a camera disguised as an electronic device charger in a hotel bathroom. The affidavit alleges the discovery occurred the morning after Mohr stood above him and masturbated.

Mohr is the president of the Central Illinois District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

A charge set forth in a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and does not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation by submitting a tip at tips.fbi.gov or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).

The case was investigated by FBI St. Louis and St. Louis County Police Department, with assistance from FBI Springfield and the Vandalia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the sexual exploitation and abuse of children. The program is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and focuses on identifying victims and prosecuting offenders.